Dietary Guidelines

Achieve an overall healthy eating pattern.

• Choose an overall balanced diet with foods from all major food groups,
emphasizing fruits, vegetables and grains.• Consume a variety of
fruits, vegetables and grain products.• At least 5 daily servings of
fruits and vegetables.• At least 6 daily servings of grain products,
including whole grains.• Include fat-free and low-fat dairy products,
fish, legumes, poultry and lean meats.• Eat at least two servings of
fish per week.

Achieve a healthy body weight.

• Maintain a level of physical activity that achieves fitness and
balances energy expenditure with caloric intake; for weight reduction,
expenditure should exceed intake.• Limit foods that are high in
calories and/or low in nutritional quality, including those with a high amount
of added sugar.

Achieve a desirable cholesterol level.

• Limit foods with a high content of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Substitute with grains and unsaturated fat from vegetables, fish, legumes and
nuts.• Limit cholesterol to 300 milligrams (mg) a day for the general
population, and 200 mg a day for those with heart disease or its risk
factors.• Limit trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are found in foods
containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as packaged cookies,
crackers and other baked goods; commercially prepared fried foods and some
margarines.

Achieve a desirable blood pressure level.

• Limit salt intake to less than 6 grams (2,400 mg sodium) per day,
slightly more than one teaspoon a day.• If you drink, limit alcohol
consumption to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day
for men.